I write this sitting at the kitchen sink' is the first line of a novel about love, sibling rivalry and a bohemian existence in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Cassandra Mortmin's journal records her fadingly glamorous stepmother, her beautiful, wistful older sister and the man to whom they owe both their isolation and poverty - Father. The author of one experimental novel, and a minor cause celebre, he has since suffered from writer's block and is determined to drag his family down with him. But if the iron ...
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I write this sitting at the kitchen sink' is the first line of a novel about love, sibling rivalry and a bohemian existence in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Cassandra Mortmin's journal records her fadingly glamorous stepmother, her beautiful, wistful older sister and the man to whom they owe both their isolation and poverty - Father. The author of one experimental novel, and a minor cause celebre, he has since suffered from writer's block and is determined to drag his family down with him. But if the iron has entered Father's soul it hasn't penetrated Cassandra's ...
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Add this copy of I Capture the Castle to cart. $3.28, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Virago Press.
Add this copy of I Capture the Castle to cart. $5.47, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Virago Press Ltd.
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Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included.
Add this copy of I Capture the Castle (Vmc) to cart. $12.31, very good condition, Sold by Reuseabook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2003 by Virago.
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Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
Add this copy of I Capture the Castle (Vmc) to cart. $12.31, good condition, Sold by Reuseabook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2003 by Virago.
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Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Damaged cover. The cover of is slightly damaged for instance a torn or bent corner. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages.
Add this copy of I Capture the Castle to cart. $14.71, very good condition, Sold by Yare Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Great Yarmouth, NORFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2003 by Virago Press.
Add this copy of I Capture the Castle to cart. $15.09, good condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2003 by Virago Press Ltd.
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Add this copy of I Capture the Castle to cart. $30.37, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Virago Press.
One of my all-time favorite books- probably the most re-read - is about eccentric, literary, extremely likable people, in the semi-romantic setting of a castle. The 'semi' comes from the Mortmain family's poverty and narrator Cassandra's straight-forward, funny explanations of the day-to-day difficulties they face in her famous father's second decade of writer's block.
As we meet them, the Mortmains' want is critical. Castle owner Simon Cotton, a great admirer of Mortmain's, arrives from America with his mother and half-brother, and his generosity immediately makes their lives easier - and more complicated.
Cloistered as they've been, Cassandra and her older, more beautiful sister Rose are naturally intrigued by the Cottons, who are intrigued by them - though not necessarily at the same time or in the same ways.
Dodie Smith's clear prose is ornamented with beautiful details. We participate in Cassandra's fresh, sensory small pleasures, each good thing to eat or read or wear or smell.. I feel it - pleasure and relief - as though I've been through their years of deprivation.
Cassandra makes both a sharp and generous observer. We enjoy a broader understanding of all the characters in Cassandra's life as events and her insights bring them into full bloom.
Finally, her poignant epiphanies on life and love make this book especially resonant.
